Certainly

How to spell certainly

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce certainly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does certainly mean?

1. adverbWithout doubt; used to confirm or emphasise that something is true or will happen.

Certainly in a sentence

• The new policy will certainly affect next year's budget.

• She certainly has the experience needed for the role.

Where does certainly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin certus, meaning 'sure', 'settled', or 'fixed', a form related to the verb cernere, 'to decide' or 'to sift', the idea being that something certain has been sorted out and resolved beyond doubt. The Latin adjective passed into Old French as certain, and English adopted it during the 1300s with the sense of being free from doubt. The adverb 'certainly' was then built on English soil by adding the native suffix -ly to the borrowed adjective. The tricky spelling lives in the unstressed middle: the 'ai' of 'certain' is barely sounded, so writers often slip toward 'certinly' or 'certenly'. Remembering the parent word 'certain' keeps that vowel cluster in place.

How the word is built

• certain (from Latin certus: sure, fixed)
• -ly (adverb suffix)